UK Visitor Visa

United Kingdom, the birthplace of the Shakespeare and The Beatles is a majestic place to live, work and explore. A globally influential centre of culture and finance, UK is also the site of neolithic Stonehenge, Bath’s Roman spa and centuries-old veteran universities at Cambridge and Oxford. Anyone planning to pay a short visit to the idyllic nation of United Kingdom to study, seek business opportunities, explore the historic locales or get a medical treatment must apply for a UK visitor visa.

Basic Requirements:-
There are certain basic requirements that must be fulfilled by individuals in order to be considered for a UK Visitor visa:-

You shall leave the geographical boundaries of the UK at the end of your visit.

You have enough funds to support your stay in the nation without having to work or seek help from the public funds.

You will be able to pay for your return or journey onwards and any other costs associated with your visit.

You shall conduct business activities in the nation that are only allowed by the Visitor Rules

Extended stay
All visitors to the United Kingdom, whether for social, business or study related reasons, can only stay in the nation for a period of six months. However, if you have been granted a visitor permit for less than six months, then you can file an application for extension for up to six months in total. Individuals from certain nationalities have the liberty of applying for different visa types to extend their trip in the UK.

There are many other situations, wherein individuals may be able to stay for longer. These may be cases if:-

You shall leave the geographical boundaries of the UK at the end of your visit. you have applied (and paid an extra fee) for a long-term visit visa and prove that you need to pay a visit the nation on a regular basis over a longer period of time

you are coming to the nation for a private medical treatment – up to a period of 11 months

you are an academic on sabbatical and visiting the nation for research work – you, your civil partner or spouse may also be able to stay in the UK for up to a period of 12 months.

Long Term UK Visitor Visa If you are applying for a long-term UK visitor visa, then you must prove that:-

you have an ongoing and frequent need to visit the UK,

the reason behind your consistent visit to the UK is unlikely to change while your visitor visa stands valid

you plan to leave the nation at the end of each visit.

Application Requirements
In order to make an application for a UK Visitor Visa, you will need:-

pay the visa fee ( generally non-refundable in nature). The fee is usually required to be paid in the local currency of the country where the application shall be filed.

Processing Times
An individual can apply for a UK visitor visa up to three months prior to the intended date of travel. A decision on the visa application, in general, is given within three weeks. However, some visas may take longer than usual to process. These situations may arise in case the application is incomplete, the supporting documents submitted are incomplete or irrelevant, or the information furnished is false. Let WWICS Global Law Offices, a leading immigration consultant, serve you and be your facilitator to immigrate to the UK. Pay a visit to our relevant links for extensive information about visitor visas and immigration to UK, in general.

The UK is extremely diverse in its landscape and has a wealth of culture, history, and scenic beauty that attracts tourists..+ Read More..

FAQs?

Our Most Frequently Asked Questions!!

Q1. Who can apply for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa?

You can apply for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa if:

you want to set up or run a business in the UK

you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland

you meet the other eligibility requirements

Q2. What are the eligibility criteria for applying for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) Visa?

The eligibility to apply to an entrepreneur visa to the UK is based on a point assessment system. You have to show the availability of at least £200,000 as funds that are

held in one or more regulated financial institutions

free to spend (‘disposable’) on business in the UK

Apart from the funds, you must also:

meet the English language requirement

be able to support yourself during your stay (maintenance)

score at least 75 points on the assessment

be at least 16 years old

Q3. What if I lack the funds that are required to apply for an entrepreneur visa?

In case one person cannot show for the amount of funds that are required for applying for an entrepreneur visa, they can form an ‘entrepreneurial team’ with one other Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) applicant and share the same investment funds. You and your team member must meet all the application requirements and:

not use the same funds on another application with a different entrepreneurial team

provide all the documents needed for evidence of the funds with your own applications

Q10. Can I switch to a Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visa if I already have a different category visa?

You can apply to switch to the Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visa if you meet the eligibility requirements for it and are already in the UK un

der one of the following categories:

Tier 1 (General)

Tier 1 (Investor)

Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur)

business person

innovator

Highly Skilled Migrant Program

work permit holder

self-employed lawyer

writer, composer or artist

investor

investor

Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme

Tier 2

prospective entrepreneu

Q4. How much does the application for a Tier 1 visa cost?

The amount you have to pay for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa depends on a number of factors, like where you are and how you apply.

With a Tier 1 visa you can live and work in the UK for a maximum of 3 years and 4 months. As the end of this period approaches, you can apply to extend the visa for another 2 years. If you switch from another visa category, you can get an extension for 3 years. Once you have completed 5 years of living in the UK, you can also apply for settlement.

Q6. What documents are needed to be submitted with a Tier 1 visa application?

When applying for a Tier 1 visa, the documents that you will need to provide are:

a current passport or other valid travel identification with a page that’s blank on both sides for your visa

a passport size color photograph

evidence of the investment funds available to you

a business plan

evidence that you can support yourself during your stay

proof that you meet the English language requirement

your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test

a criminal record certificate from any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years

You’ll need to provide a certified translation of any documents that aren’t in English or Welsh.

Q7. What evidences of funds are required to be submitted with a visa application?

The following evidences are considered sufficient proof of the availability of the required funds when applying for a Tier 1 visa

an official letter from each financial institution holding the funds

for money held in the UK, a recent personal bank or building society statement from the financial institution holding the funds would suffice

for money that has been provided by a venture capital firm, a recent letter from an accountant confirming the amount of money made available

for money provided by a UK government department, a recent letter from an accountant or authorized official confirming the amount of money made available

In case of funding from a third party other than a UK entrepreneurial see funding company or if you have had the money for less than 90 days before your application, the following need to be submitted:

confirmation the money has been made available for you to invest in a UK business

a letter from a legal representative validating the signatures on the declaration

As evidence that you can support yourself during your stay (maintenance), you must prove that you have enough personal savings for the purpose. Depending on where you apply from, the requirements are:

outside the UK – £3,310

in the UK –£945

Your personal savings must have been in your bank account for 90 consecutive days before you apply.

Q8. Who can apply for a Tier 1 visa extension?

As the end of your Tier 1 visa period approaches, you can apply to extend your visa, provided that your current visa has not yet expired. For this, you must: –

meet the eligibility requirements

be registered as a director or as self-employed no more than 6 months after the date you were given permission to stay in the UK under a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa

can prove you’ve been self-employed or working as a director of a business 3 months before you apply

created at least 2 full time jobs that have existed for at least 12 months

You must be in the UK to extend your visa and should include any dependents who are on your current visa on your application (including children who turned 18 during your stay.

Q9. How long does it take to process an application for extension of visa?

Generally, a decision on an extension application is made within 8 weeks. But can take longer in case an application is complex. Eg.

if your supporting documents need to be verified

if you need to attend an interview

because of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction)

In the period between application for extension and receiving the decision on the application, an applicant may live in the UK, provided that they applied before the expiry of the last visa.

Worldwide Immigration Consultancy Services (WWICS) is one of the World's leading resettlement service provider. At present, it has more than 32 offices located at various international and national locations. The Asian headquarter of WWICS is at Mohali, Punjab, India and the global headquarter is at Dubai. The company was started back in 1993 with only two offices; one was in Chandigarh, India and the other at Toronto, Canada.